Stone Gossard Compares Pearl Jam and Brad Songwriting

When Spinner recently spoke with Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard about his longtime side project Brad, we couldn't resist asking about the differences between the ways Eddie Vedder and Brad vocalist Shawn Smith approach music. Both bands come from that Northwest grunge tradition, but as we found out, Gossard sees them as quite different.

"How Shawn works, he's very spontaneous," Gossard tells Spinner. "Fifty percent of the time, the first vocal you here is the first vocal he went out and sang. Ed is so into poetry, so into words. He's done things that are very spontaneous, but almost more as an experiment to show that he can do it. It reminds me of him knowing a river really well. He's figured out a path in terms of how his vocal should go. Shawn is the most absolute -- the best of Brad is him experiencing something for the first time and living with the fact that to revisit it and improve on it. Once he falls in love with it, it's done."

For example, Gossard says the experimental-sounding 'Without Regret' developed in that fashion. "That's lyrics coming right from the top of his head," he says. "You can hear it in the looseness of the arrangement. It has that Satchel thing going on. Everything is slowed way down and just kind of epic."

This fall, fans will be able to see the differences in concert, as Gossard and company head out on the road. They'll open for Band of Horses on a few dates, as well as break off for a few headlining shows on the East Coast.

"I'd love to be able to get Brad to the point where Pearl Jam is," Gossard says. "There are three or four records of Brad songs -- and Shawn solo as well -- that I'd love to help those guys explore. It helps to be 40, to take a breath sometime. We can make it sound great and we don't need to race or panic."